Car-coupling



(No Modem' Y J. P. SMITH.

GAR COUPLING Patented Feb. 11, 1896.,

A TTHNE YS.

NrTED STATES IPATENT Ormea JOHN F. SMITH, OF BURBANK, OHIO.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,547, dated February 11, 1896.

Application filed September 24., 1895. Serial No. 563,484. (No model.) A

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN F. SMITH, of Burbank, in the county of Wayne and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Oar-Coupling, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improved carcoupling of the link-and-hook type, and has for its obj ect to provide a simple an inexpensive car-coupling which will automatically couple and be capable of uncoupling by the manipulation of a releasing attachment located on the car, the operator being at one side of the car and safe from injury while detaching the cars.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and indicated in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is an -end view of a car-body in part and the improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional side view of two of the improved car-couplings in coupled connection. Fig. 3 is a side view of a carcoupling having the improvements in uncoupled adjustment; and Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of a portion of the uncoupling mechanism, substantially on the line 4t 4 of Fig. l.

The improved car-coupling comprises an elongated draw-bar, adapted to be attached beneath the car by any approved means, the forward portion of the draw-bar being suitably enlarged to produce a draw-head thereon. As shown, the draw-head and draw-bar are formed of two portions lO 1l, which are hinged at a, near the rear end of the upper portion or section, l0.

The lower section, ll--that is, the main portion of the draw-bar-is provided with a latchhook b at its forward end, the said hook being located vat the transverse center of the draw-head and having such a proportionate width that a level portion or seat c is aorded at each side of the hook, whereon thecoupling-link l2 will rest when introduced within the coupling, as is hereinafter more fully described. At each side of the link-seats c the forward portion of the section 1l is depressed,

producing two laterally and horizontally projecting ilanges d.

The upper section, 10, of the coupling iits in an open recess formed in the lower section, 1l, and when in close folded adjustment on the latter fills the recess and is iiush on its upper side with the portion of section 1l that projects rearward from the hinge-joint a.

At the front end or draw-head portion of the coupling-section 10 a longitudinal channel is produced on the lower side of the same by providing two parallel depending flanges e at the sides of the draw-head, which flanges are so spaced apart that they will loosely embrace the side walls of the draw-head portion of the section l1 above the flanges d thereon, and when in lowered adjustment said depending flanges e will rest on the laterally-pro- 7o kjecting flanges d, as clearly shown in Fig. l.

Between the depending flanges e the front lower corner of the section l0 is cut away and preferably convexly curved, as best shown in Fig. 2, and the upper front corner'of the 75 latch-hook b, as well as the end of the section 11, below said hook is in a like manner convex curved, whereby provision is made for the easy insertion of the elongated coupling-link l2.

The upright shoulder b of the latch-hook b, which affords a catch for the link 12, is produced by the formation of an open recess gin the upper wall of the coupling-section ll, behind and near the latch-hook, and at the base of the hook-shoulder b a transverse groove b2 is produced, wherein a transverse lifter-bar h will lie below the surface of the bottom of recess g when the section l0 has its flanges e in contact with the flanges CZ, as 9o shown in Fig. 2. The lifter-bar h has its ends respectively secured in the flanges e and extends between the same at such a distance above their lower edges that will permit said bar to occupy the transverse groove b2 when 95 the upper section, l0, is fully depressed.

Preferably a tongue-and-socket connection is provided between the coupling-sections l0 11 at a suitable distance from the hingejoint a, which connection serves to prevent 10o lateral displacement of the upper section, 10, as its range of vertical rocking movement will never be suiiicient to release the tongue from the socket it occupies.

The coupling-section 10 is held normally depressed by a plate-spring 13, which is attached to the rear portion of section l1 behind the joint a by its rear end, the free front end of the spring pressing on the section 10, so as to cause its depending` flanges e to seat on the lateral flanges d. 1

The preferred means for lifting the upper section, 10, which is necessary in the operation of the device, consists of alever 1li, that is pivoted to vibrate in a longitudinal slot 7c in the section 10, the toe on of the lever which occupies said slot having a bearing on the upper side of the section 11, while the portion of the lever that is outside of the slot 7c is preferably curved forward,as shown in Figs. 2 and On the body of a car A, whereon the improvements are placed, a transverse rockshaft 15 is supported to rock by the boxes n or by other means, and on the body of said shaft between its ends a squared or other angular formation o is produced for a sliding and locking engagement with a similarlyshaped transverse aperture in the lockingbox p, that is secured on the car-body, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 4.

The rock-shaft 15 extends to a point near the side of the car-body A, and on the end of the shaft that is adjacent to the side wall of said body a crank-handle 1^ is formed ol secured.

Above the lever 14 a rock-arm 15 is located and secured on the rock-shaft 15, so that a chain 16 or other loose connection may be extended between the outer ends of the arm and lever and be thereto attached at its ends, the chain being taut when the crank-handle o is pendent and the lever 1i has its outer end depressed by gravity of the same.

It will be seen that the insertion of the link 12 between the front ends of the couplingsections 10 11 will elevate the section 10 as the links end slides up the incline of the latchhook h, and the spring 13 will press the upper section, 10, down so as to loosely contact with the upper side of the inserted portion. of the link when the latter drops into the recess g, the end of the link that has been introduced resting on the bottom wall of said recess over the lifter-bar 7L that now occupies the transverse groove h2.

The enforced contact of the coupling-section 10 with the inserted end of link 12 holds the link in a level condition, with its main portion projected in advance of the drawhead, to enter a similar coupling.

It will be evident from the foregoing description that the coupling together of two cars having the improvements can be automaticallyeifected, as the link extending from one coupling will enter the throat of the other coupling by elevation of the upper couplingsection, 10, and drop over the shoulder g of the latch-hook b, which will complete the coupling operation.

To uncouple two cars having the improved couplings, it is only necessary to rock the shaft 15 by manipulation of the crank-handle r, so as to raise the rock-arm 15, which will correspondingly elevate the outer end of the lever 14, causing the inner end or toe of said lever to press on the upper side of the coupling-section 11 and rockthe section 10 upwardly, as shown in Fig. 3.

The upward rocking movement of the coupling-section 10 raises the lifter-bar 7L, which, being below the end of the link 12 within the coupling, serves to lift the link above the shoulder g of the latch-hook l), and thus releases the link.

Ii' it is not convenient to pull apart the cars at the time the rock-shaft 14E is rocked to release the link 12, said shaft maybe locked to hold the lever 13 elevated by pushing the shaft endwise, so that the angular formation o of the shaft will slideinto and interlock with the box p, which will retain the coupling in uncoupled adjustment until the rock-shaft is withdrawn from the locking-box p.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of a draw-head, the same being formed of two sections, one of which is pivoted on the remaining section, the pivoted section having at its free or forward portion downwardly-projected ianges and the remaining section having at its forward portion an upwardly extended hook, the flanges of the pivoted section being adapted to lie one on each side of the hook when said pivoted section is lowered, a transverse lifting-bar fixed to the flanges and moving with the pivoted section to lift the link with which the coupling operates, and a lever fulcrumed on the pivoted section of the draw-head and having one end engaging the remaining section, substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupling, a draw-head consist- 'ing of two sections, one of which is pivoted on the remaining section, said remaining or stationary section having a hook above which the pivoted section bears, and a lever fulcrumed on the pivoted section an d having one end engaging the stationarysection, substantially as described.

3. In a car-coupling, a draw-head, the same consisting of two sections, one of which is pivotally mounted on the remaining section and said pivoted section having a projection, the remaining or stationary section having a socket receiving the projection and having a hook, and a lever fulcrumed on the pivoted section and having one end engaging the stationary section, substantially as described.

1i. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head having two sections, one of which is pivoted on the other, thc stationary section having at its forward end a hook and being formed with seats at each side of the hook, the stationary section also having at points directly below the seats two laterally and horizontally projected ilanges, the pivoted IOO IIO

section having vertical flanges at each side respectively rested on the lateral and horizontal flanges of the stationary section, a transverse lifting-bar having its ends secured to the flanges of the pivoted section, and a lever fulcrumed on the pivoted section and having one end engaging the stationary seotion, substantially as described.

5. In a car-conplin g, a draw-head composed of tWo sections7 one of which is pivotally mounted on the other and the pivoted section having a projection and having at the sides of its free portion two downwardly-projecting flanges, the stationary section having a socket receiving the projection and having` at its front end a hook, and seats contiguous to the hook, the stationary section also having at each side of the seats laterally and horizon- JOHN F. SMITH. Witnesses:

ROBERT G. ADAIR, JOHN S. Amun. 

